Self-impelled spin-casting rig



5, 1970 L. A. WORSHAM 3,525,174

SELF-IMPELLED SPIN-CASTING RIG Filed July 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 4 5 s 752 ,4. W02 8/44 4;

L. A/WORSHAM SELF-IMPELLED SPIN-CASTING RIG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 25, 1970 Filed July 16, 1968 United States Patent ()1 her.

3,525,174 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spin-casting rig comprising a butt portion adapted to have a spinning reel mounted thereon and a rod portion pivotally connected to said butt portion. A slide is mounted in said butt portion and a rigid link is pivoted at one end to the rod portion and at the other end to the slide. A spring Within the butt portion resists rearward movement of the slide. A lever is pivoted to the butt portion adjacent the reel mounted thereon and a spring in the handle portion biases the upper end of the lever. toward the reel. A tie-rod slidably penetrates both the slide and the lower end of the lever. The tie-rod has stops at each end, one bearing on the slide and the other on the lever. The spring biasing the slide has a more powerful constant than that of the spring biasing the lever.

The primary object of this invention is to enable anyone, regardless of skill or experience, successfully to operate spin-casting tackle with no more coaching than is contained in the usual directions accompanying the tackle when purchased.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spin-casting rig which, while minimizing the skill requirement of the user, nevertheless will interfere not at all with the normal behavior of this class of tackle when playing a fish.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spin-casting rig as aforesaid in which the force and hence the distance of the cast is under the control of the caster.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spincasting rig as aforesaid in which proper control and timing of the reel action is entirely automatic.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the rig as a whole;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation fromthe opposite side of the rig showing the parts in condition to initiate a cast;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view partly in section and corresponding to FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rig as a Whole is designated 10 and is made up of a casting rod portion 12 and a butt portion generally designated 14. The butt portion 14 is made up of a forepiece 16 and a handle portion 18.

The casting rod portion 12 has the usual spin tackle guides 20 secured at intervals throughout its length and a conventional closed face spinning reel 22 is affixed by conventional means to the handle portion 18. The reel 22 carries a conventional winding handle 24 and a conventional line trigger 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be noted that the forepiece 16 has a slot 28 on its top side and extending most of its length. Adjacent its front end, forepiece 16 has a wider continuation 30 of the slot 28.

A rod-receiving member 32 is pivoted in the forepiece 16 on a pin 34 running transverse to the forepiece. The

member 32 has a longitudinal bore which snugly receives the butt 36 of the rod 12. This is entirely conventional practice permitting dismantling of the rig.

A lug 38 is formed at the front end of the member 32 and is pivotally connected to a link 40 which at one end has a pair of ears engaging a pin 42 projecting through the lug 38.

A slide 44 has a generally cylindrical body slidable within the forepiece 16 and guided by a lug 46 projecting through the slot 28. The link 40 has its opposite end pivoted by a pair of ears engaging a pivot pin 48 mounted in'the lug 46.

At the rear end of the forepiece 16 is a plug member 50 secured against sliding by pins 52 which penetrate the forepiece 16.

A compression spring 54 is mounted in the forepiece 16 and bears at one end against the plug 50 and at the other against the slide 44 and constantly biases the slide 44 towards its forwardmost position.

A lever 56 is pivoted on a pin 58 which penetrates lugs 60 formed in the handle portion 18. A tension spring 62 is mounted in the handle portion 18 and has one end hooked to a transverse pin 64, the other end being secured to the lower end of the lever 56 so as to bias the lever 56 in a counterclockwise direction around pin 58, as viewed in FIG. 4. The pin 58 has a hammerlike head 64 adapted to bear against the line trigger 26 of the reel 22 for a purpose to be presently described.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6 a tie-rod 66 freely penetrates the slide 44, the plug 50 and the lower end 68 of the lever 56. The tie-rod 66 is threaded at both ends and at its forward end carries a nut and washer combination 70 while the threaded portion at its opposite or rear end carries a nut and lock nut combination 72.

The closed face spin reel 22 is a standard item and per se forms no part of this invention. It may, however, aid in understanding the present invention if the action of the reel 22 is briefly described. When mounted on a conventional rod, depression of the line trigger 26 activates the drag built into the reel 22. The drag holds the line 74 against premature withdrawal from the reel. When a cast is made, the fisherman at the proper instant releases the line trigger 26 permitting the line 74 to be drawn freely from the reel 22 and this results in a cast. The moment the handle 24 is turned in a rewinding direction the drag is reset and the line can be rewound even against the struggles of the fish. One of the great advantages of this invention lies in the fact that when a cast is made, the line trigger 26 is always released automatically at precisely the correct moment and is kept released until another cast is to be attempted.

This functioning will now be described.

First, assume the parts to be in the condition of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, in which the rod 12 is in alignment with the butt 14. This is the condition prevailing while the fisherman awaits a strike, is playing a fish or is reeling in preparatory to another cast. When the bait or lure has been brought close to the tip of the rod 12, the fisherman simply grasps the butt portion 14 in his left hand, the rod portion 12 in his right hand, and bends the rod 12 relative to the butt 14 to or approximating the position of FIGS. 3 and 6. This movement causes the link 40 to thrust the slide 44 rearwardly, as shown in FIG. 6. Normally, since the spring 54 is more powerful than the spring 62, slide 44 pressing against the stop 70 on the rod 66 overpowers the spring 62, drawing the end 64 of the lever 56 back from the line trigger 26. As the rod approximates the positions of FIGS. 3 and 6 and the stop 70 is no longer engaged by the slide 44, the spring 62 thereupon rocks the lever 56 about the pivot 58, engaging the head 64 with the trigger 26 and activating the drag mechanim of the reel 22. This locks the line 74,

preventing premature withdrawal of the line 74 from the reel 22. v

It is then only necessary that the fisherman release the rod 12 whereupon the spring 54 drives the slide 44 forward, whipping the rod back to the position of FIGS. 1 and 4. As will 'be clear from FIG. 6, there is considerable travel of the slide 44, hence a considerable flipping movement to the rod 12 before the slide 44 again engages the stop 70 on the rod 66. When this happens, the rod 66 is drawn forwardly against the action of the spring 62 and by engagement of the stop 72 on the rod 66 with the base 68 of the lever 66, the lever head 64 is quickly withdrawn from the line trigger 26, permitting the line to flow freely while the lure maintains the momentum established 'by the whipping action of the rod 12. A successful cast is therefore assured by automatic action of the rig. The length of cast is varied by the angle to which the rod 12 is drawn relative to the butt portion 14. The cast may be either overhand or side arm or any point intermediate to two styles. This is important in situations where there may be overhanging branches near the extremity of the intended cast.

Examination of FIGS. 4 and 6 Will show that if it is desired to shorten the handle portion 18, the plug 50 may be moved forward and a compression spring inserted between the plug and the lever 56. This dispenses with the tension spring 62 and shortens the handle 18 without altering the action.

An examination of FIGS. 1 and 2 will show that this invention alters almost not at all the proportions and the outline of a conventional spin-casting rig.

While certain constructional details have been illustrated and described herein, no doubt perusal of this application will suggest to those skilled in the art numerous modifications and structural details. Accordingly, it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise details disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. A spin-casting rig comprising: a rod and a butt; said rod being pivoted to the butt and swingable between a position aligned with said butt and a position at an angle thereto; a slide mounted in said butt; said rod and said slide each having a laterally projecting lug, said lugs being in alignment; a link pivoted to each of said lugs to connect the same; a spring biasing said slide toward said rod; a lever pivoted on said butt to engage the line trigger of a spinning reel when such reel is mounted adjacent thereto; a spring biasing said lever toward said trigger; means connecting said slide and said lever and overcoming said lever spring when said rod and butt approach mutual alignment and means disabling said connecting means when said rod is pivoted to a substantial angular relationship to said butt.

2. The rig of claim 1, in which said springs are axially aligned.

3. The rig of claim 1, in which the slide spring acts in compression and the lever spring acts in tension.

4. The rig of claim 1, in which said springs are enclosed within the butt.

5. The rig of claim 1, in which a rod-holding member is pivoted on said butt and to said link, said rod being detachably secured to said rod-holding member.

6. The rig of claim 2, in which the slide spring acts in compression and the lever spring acts in tension.

7. The rig of claim 2, in which a rod-holding member is pivoted on said butt and to said link, said rod being detachably secured to said rod holding member.

8. The rig of claim 3, in which a rod-holding member is pivoted on said butt and to said link, said rod being detachably secured to said rod-holding member.

9. The rig of claim 4, in which a rod-holding member is pivoted on said butt and to said link, said rod being detachably secured to said rod-holding member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,143,823 8/1964 Brown et a1. 43-19 3,217,442 11/1965 Nygren 43--19 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner D. J. LEACH, Assistant Examiner 

